Mythical Three Kingdoms-Chapter 1776 - 1661: Each One’s Will (Part 2)

Cao Cao stared sharply at Liu Bei and Chen Xi, his eyes piercing, "Liu Xuande, do you still remember your original promise?"

"I remember. Do you still remember your promise?" Liu Bei smiled and said.

"I have never broken it," said Cao Cao solemnly.

"I have never broken mine either," Liu Bei said with ease, much more relaxed than Cao Cao.

"The current Emperor..." Xun Yu was about to speak when Cao Cao raised his hand to stop him, cutting off Xun Yu’s voice. He then looked at Liu Bei and said, "Xuande, is this your choice?"

"Brother Mengde, if I tell you today to continue as the Han General of Western Campaigns, then the world is settled, and the Emperor remains the Emperor, how would you choose?" Liu Bei spoke seriously at this moment. For him, returning power to the Emperor was acceptable, as long as Liu Xie remained competent; Liu Bei didn’t mind.

The world is vast, and someone must venture out. And Liu Xuande, being the first to step forward, conquering the world for the Han Dynasty, measuring the world for the Han Dynasty, finds it acceptable.

Liu Bei had long understood that the Imperial Clan hadn’t let him down, nor would he let the Liu Surname down. The Central Plains belonged to the Emperor; the world was for Liu Bei to fight for, and even if he were to fall on the path of conquest, Liu Bei was confident he’d have the honor to meet his ancestors underground.

Cao Cao looked at Liu Bei’s expression, unable to understand why Liu Bei seemed sincere, yet as a leader of a faction, he couldn’t believe such words. Faced with Liu Bei’s words, Cao Cao could only respond with silence.

"That’s how it is. So, when facing external threats, we unite; when facing internal affairs, we deal with them internally." Liu Bei said to Cao Cao, "Whether it’s you or Sun Bofu, there’s always a hint of wishful thinking. After all, we’ve come this far, and what if I make a mistake? History has numerous records of the weak defeating the strong."

After Liu Bei finished speaking, Cao Cao had completely regained his calm, "Looks like I was overthinking. None of us can be persuaded by words, only power can awaken us."

"You can’t wake those who pretend to sleep. The best way is to give them a beating until they wake up, or never wake up," Chen Xi chuckled, "So whether they’re pretending or not, it’s fine to give them a beating when the time comes."

"Is Marquis Chen that confident?" Cao Cao asked, staring at Chen Xi.

"You can’t win against us because your opponent has never been us." Chen Xi shook his head, honestly speaking, his greatest concern during the Central Plains battle was Yuan Shao.

If Yuan Shao, who has passed away, were to resurrect on the Yuan-Liu battlefield, and fight another battle, as long as generals and commanders weren’t repeatedly lost, Liu Bei wouldn’t easily win. Yuan Shao might drag on the Yuan-Liu battle for five or six years before it concludes.

Cao Cao’s face remained calm, just gazing south towards Chang’an, his intentions clear without needing words.

"Let me think. There’s a saying, ’The Duke of Zhou feared rumors during the day, Wang Mang was humble before usurpation. If he had died early, who could know the truth of his life? Some things shouldn’t be concluded too early; maybe we’re the ones supporting the King?" Chen Xi smiled.

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao recalled Liu Xie’s past performances and combined with his resolve spoke, "Xuande, when the battle to push back the Huns ends, lead twenty thousand soldiers with me to Chang’an. How the Emperor decides between us is not up to you or me; only the Han Son of Heaven has the say."

"I can retire to farm, but that claim of yours doesn’t count," Cao Cao said with incomparable openness, "If you, Liu Xuande, are deemed loyal by the Emperor, then we serve together, with me ranking beneath you, if my ability is lacking. If you are deemed traitorous, then even with a mighty army, I, Cao Mengde, will face you to the death!"

"My thoughts won’t waver because of your strength, and I’ll use my own eyes to witness and discern." Cao Cao’s demeanor was such that it caught Liu Bei’s attention; who is loyal, who is traitorous, loyal to the nation or loyal to the Han Son of Heaven?

Cao Cao’s words were powerful, his resolve unyielding, apparent to both Chen Xi and Liu Bei. Yet Liu Bei held no intention of seizing imperial authority, for the world was vast, expanding territory was far more historically significant than the power of emperors.

"Let us wait and see." Liu Bei said calmly. He had initially hoped to subdue Cao Cao, but now he had dismissed such thoughts. He could defeat Cao Cao’s army but absolutely could not crush Cao Cao’s conviction nor his self-confidence.

"You will see." Cao Cao said solemnly.

"May I say something?" Chen Xi interjected, "In truth, none of us lack will or conviction, whether Minister of Works, Lord Xuande, or Sun Bofu, they all started from scratch. The greatest asset of self-made creators lies in their mindset."

"Therefore, a battle between us is inevitable, but I hope we can confine it to soldiers, unlike our war with Yuan Shao, which involved civilians; rise or fall, the people suffer." Chen Xi said sympathetically.

Speaking of which, the Yuan-Liu battle ended quickly, yet Yuan Shao’s routed troops still inflicted significant damage on Jizhou. With no command control over routed troops, some turned to banditry, some plundered civilians; Liu Bei’s generals spent the past year wiping out these small pockets of roving bandits.

To a regular army, such bandits are weak, but to civilians, their destructiveness is terrifying. After a major battle, failing to properly gather defeated enemy troops greatly hurts the survival environment for civilians within hundreds of miles.

Here, it was partly due to Yuan Shao’s death; if he were alive, his prestige might gather them, albeit with Yuan Shao alive, peace would be hard to achieve.

"I’ll do my best." Cao Cao remained silent for a moment and gave Chen Xi the answer he hoped for; once war breaks out, claiming perfect control over troops is deceitful. Routing cannot be avoided; Cao Cao giving assurances pleased Chen Xi.

"Rise or fall, the people suffer," Liu Bei sighed, "Brother Mengde, I intended to subdue you, yet neither your will nor mine can be swayed easily. Therefore, I ask you to remember that rise or fall, the people suffer."

"I don’t wish for another Xuzhou incident. Regardless of avenging my father or venting anger, I wish for that past to be put behind us. You may not believe it, but I must tell you, were it not to preserve Han Dynasty’s Vital Energy, defeating you would be easy; Zichuan surpasses your Wen Ruo greatly, standing genuinely at the pinnacle." At this moment, Liu Bei spoke earnestly, uncertain if it was a threat or warning, but Cao Cao felt the momentum.

"There will surely be a battle in the future; but before that, we shall join forces to eliminate Han Dynasty’s multi-century scourge." Cao Cao nodded ambiguously before extending his hand to Liu Bei, who took it firmly, "At least this time, we are like-minded as we once were."

"For the Han Dynasty!" "For the people!" "For the Central Plains!" "For our respective aspirations." Cao Cao and Liu Bei’s hands clasped tightly, each saying a phrase.

Chen Xi smiled at Xun Yu, recognizing that Liu Bei and Cao Cao had differences, yet their resolves intertwined somewhere along the line. They both strove for the realm, albeit through different methods and journeys; their objectives were correct.

"I’ll accept the title of Han General of Western Campaigns," said Cao Cao, looking at Liu Bei.

"The Era of Prosperity, I’ll begin to write," Liu Bei said proudly.

"One day, we shall oppose each other, but until then, we all serve as Han Officials. Even if we face each other that day, we’ll still be Han Officials. Rest assured, I, Liu Bei, have no designs on the Divine Artifact; my goal is to surpass ancestors." At this moment, Liu Bei spoke boldly, finally daring to voice this before others.